Diageo India has launched a new brand of Indian premium whisky, Rowson’s Reserve and they have appointed McCann Erickson to handle it’s creative duties.

On the reason behind picking McCann as their creative agency, Abanti Sankaranarayan, marketing and innovation director, Diageo India, said, “We believe that McCann understands the Indian emerging middle class consumer really well. They understand how to adapt a global brand through local insights in local markets. With this brand we were very clear that we needed to talk to a completely new generation of consumers, which we believe McCann can deliver. Rowson’s Reserve is not a scotch, it’s not ultra premium vodka, it’s not an international spirit; it’s an Indian whisky. We’ll be seeing some really exciting stuff from them in the next three to four months.”

Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman and CEO, McCann Worldgroup India said, “Starting point is to create a brand that uniquely resonates with the new mindset of the emerging youth and provides him with a sense of personal local connection along with global aspirations.”

On the launch of the whisky, Sankaranarayanan, said, “We expect Rowson’s Reserve to be the preference of the new generation of whisky drinkers as well as a great choice for those consuming other brands currently available. Diageo’s expertise in making exquisite whisky and building iconic brands, along with the heritage assets it owns, has enabled us to create a differentiated offer to cut through a highly competitive and fast growing segment. We are very confident about our product which is a fantastic liquid in superior packaging.”

Rowson's Reserve is initially being launched in Maharashtra, Haryana, Punjab and Karnataka. It is priced at INR 885/- for 750ml in Maharashtra while in Karnataka, a 750 ml bottle will be available for INR 660/-.